Birds of Prey, Scavangers, and fowllike birds

Quiz list

ORDER: ACCIPITRIFORMES Bald Eagle, Broad-winged Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier Osprey

ORDER: FALCONIFORMES Peregrine Falcon, American Kestrel, Merlin

ORDER: CATHARTIFORMES Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, New WorldVultures vs. Old World Vultures

ORDER: GALLIFORMES Spruce Grouse, Ruffed Grouse, Ring-necked Pheasant

ORDER: ACCIPITRIFORMES

Kites, Hawks, Eagles and Osprey

•diurnal birds of prey

•bill short

• strongly hooked (decurved) upper mandible for tearing prey

•nostrils open through a fleshy cere

•eaptorial feet (strong, curved talons)

•female is frequently larger than the male (reversed sexual size dimorphism)

Hypothesized reasons: 1. Eggs are large relative to size of bird’s body; large size of female may be advantageous to egg-laying, incubation, and protecting young when they hatch. 2. May reduce competition for prey between mated pairs

Groups in accipitriformes can be identified based on

appearance

Accipiters can be recognized by short, rounded wings, long tails – maneuver among trees, underbrush

Buteos long but broad wings - frequently seen soaring or perched in conspicuous places

Family Accipitridae

Kites, Hawks, Eagles

•Catch prey in flight: Hooked beaks, Strong legs, Sharp talons

•Reversed sexual size dimorphism

Bald Eagle

F.Accipitridae

Hunts prey from high in the air as well as from perches

Associated with large bodies of water during breeding season and ice-free water in winter.

Broad-winged Hawk

Genus: Buteo

Small, stocky buteo. Primarily inhabits deciduous forests.

Often observed sitting along roads and clearings while hunting for a variety of prey.

Red-tailed Hawk

Genus: Buteo

Common, familiar NA raptor.

Rounded wings.

One slide about Accipter sp no more

Pretty sure she didnt read any of it but its on slide 12…

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Genus: Accipiter

Shy, secretive woodland hawk.

Preys on small to medium sized birds flying fast from perches or on the wing in the woods.

Daring, acrobatic flier.

Northern Harrier

Genus: Circus

eats small mammals and birds

wing primarily flies low over ground ‘quartering’ (back and forth)

Wings in a shallow ‘V”. Hovers (by flying into wind)

Keen hearing - used to detect prey, typically rodents.

Habitat: open country

Osprey

F: Pandionidae

– hunt from the air (e.g. stoop (steep dive); also hunt from perches and by ‘hovering’ over water and grabbing fish feet-first- fish eater (piscivore)

- zygodactyl feet with reversible outer toe (‘semi zygodactyl‘) that allows them to grasp with two toes in front and two behind

- barbed (‘spikules’) pads on the soles of the birds' feet help them grip slippery fish.

- when flying with prey lines up its catch head first for less wind resistance

ORDER: FALCONIFORMES

Family Falconidae

Falcons and Caracaras

•chase and catch prey in flight

•streamlined, swift, agile

•long pointed wings

•long toes, sharp talons, knock prey out of air

•use hooked, notched beak for killing prey (crush neck vertebrae, cut the spinal chord)

•have a tomial tooth (a toothlike projection on the cutting edge of upper mandible).

•tubercle in nose (thought to be for disrupting airflow to allow breathing at high speed)

•“mustachial stripes”

American Kestrel

Unlike accipitors, members of genus Falco have a tomial tooth (a toothlike projection on the cutting edge of upper mandible).

Smallest NA falcon Hunts from perches, on the wing, and frequently hovers.

Rufous bands…

Merlin

Feeds almost entirely on birds. Hunts on the air: stoop (soars to great height and then dives)

Dark with light gray bands

Perigrine Falcon

compare with merlin and kestrel because they are often confused

ORDER: Cathartiformes

FAMILY: Cathartidae (New World Vultures)

- Scavengers

Thermal soaring

Dihedral wing pattern (V-shaped), teetering

Keen sense of smell

Bare heads

Vultures

scavengers

New world vultures: F: Cathartidae highly developed sense of smell The Americas

Old World Vultures F: Accipitridae Rely primarily on cision to locate food (lack well-developed sense of smell) India, Africa, Asia, Europe

Order Galliformes

Fowllike Birds

•mainly terrestrial birds

•short rounded wings

•Short, conical bill (arched culmen)

•strong legs

•well-developed ceca

Partridges (Plawej) and Grouse (Wijik)

Family Phasianidae

• Pectinate toes

• Feathered nostrils and legs

Spruce Grouse

Assigned: View male and female at All About Birds Compare with Ruffed Grouse

Black tail with buff (brown) band

Fom picture

Male: 1. Red comb over eye 2. Black throat and upper breast 3. Uppertail coverts without white tips 4. Black tail with buff tip

Female": 1. dark barring on plumage 2. Short fan-shaped tail Inhabits coniferous forest

Ruffed Grouse

From a picture

Displaying male: 1. Fanned tail with black subterminal band 2. Raised black neck ruffs

Brown form: Brown plumage. Chesnut-red tail. Barred flanks

Ring-necked Pheasant

From picture

male: 1. glossy green head with red face patch 2. White necklace 3. Long tail